Just Say No
by Kateli
Summary: When Draco Malfoy is appointed Chief Financial Adviser to the Minister for Magic, no one expects it to end well, least of all the Minister herself, Hermione Granger. She comes to find that he makes her job significantly easier, but she never predicted he could get her all hot and bothered with just one word. Two-part short story.
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I've written this for fun and do not make a profit. Thanks to J.K. Rowling for providing us with fascinating characters and stories to play with and enjoy.

This was originally planned as a series of vignettes, but it grew a bit bigger than that so it's now a two-part short story. Most of the character and relationship development in this story happens off-screen, and each scene checks in with our characters at key moments, sometimes after the passage of many months. To some extent, this may result in the characters reading as a bit OOC, but if you take the episodes at face value given the time lapse, I don't think it's all that unbelievable.

I originally intended for this to remain mostly on the humorous side, but the drama became unwieldy so I don't think I can honestly label it as such anymore, thus the genre remains "General."

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

"What's this?"

Percy Weasley ran a hand through his hair. "It's a proposal for a new employment program. You're going to want to have a seat."

Hermione took the file and sat behind her desk, gesturing for Percy to sit opposite her. She could feel his eyes on her as she perused the documents.

"This is all very reasonable. I have no problem with signing this measure."

His gaze remained steady as she raised her head to gauge his reaction.

"As I expected. You do realize that not everyone will react as... considerately?" Percy pressed.

"Yes, of course I know that. But like I said, it is all very reasonable and I believe I can manage a statement that will put out any fires this might start."

She signed the form and handed it back to him. "Was that all? I was expecting something a bit more controversial from the way you are behaving, Percy."

One corner of his mouth quirked as he reached into his briefcase and slid another file across her desk. "Unfortunately there is a follow up, and you're likely to find it a bit less savory," he admitted.

Hermione sighed, opened the folder, and scanned the first page, again feeling Percy's apprehensive stare. Her eyes widened.

"You've really backed me into a corner, Percy!"

"I know, I'm sorry," he quickly launched into an explanation. "Here's how we see it, Hermione. You've just signed what you yourself described as a quite _reasonable_ measure to protect the employment rights of former Death Eaters and Death Eater sympathizers. I know you agree that we need to put a stop to the reactionary movement happening against purebloods."

"Yes, and we've discussed all of this before," Hermione huffed.

"So don't you think it would be pertinent to hire someone who fits the criteria? We have a number of positions open, and the board has discussed a number of candidates. We've determined that the higher the rank, the better, as far as encouraging the public's compliance is concerned. It will be impressive if they see the Minister for Magic trusting an ex-Death Eater with a high profile job."

"You're right, as usual," Hermione admitted.

"Thank you, I'm glad you agree," Percy said with relief. But his shoulders did not relax as he reached forward and flipped to the next page in the file. "We've taken the liberty of compiling a list of the available positions and eligible applicants. But we urge you to seriously consider our top choice, for a multitude of reasons, for inst-"

"This is..." she began, but she could not identify the correct words. She took a deep, exasperated breath. "This is a shock. I don't know what to say to this suggestion, Percy. You can understand why, I imagine?"

"Of course, absolutely, Hermione, but listen for a moment. We've been searching for a Chief Financial Adviser for months, and the economy is suffering. We haven't found a single decent candidate because almost all of the best options are purebloods serving time. The rest of the board and I implore you to just consider his credentials. We cannot do our jobs while also overseeing Ministry finances for much longer without causing serious lasting damage. He is the best choice we have. And if he messes up, you can fire him and we will take up the search again. But for now you have the final say in whichever appointment you'd like to make."

"You've never led me astray, Percy," Hermione reluctantly admitted, "but this isn't just about politics or the war. This is personal. I need some time to think."

"I'll leave you to it, then. Just try to come up with something quick? We're hoping to announce the program alongside the appointment if possible."

With a nod, she sent him away.

She tried to come up with a better solution. She searched through the databases and investigated the other suggestions her Board of Advisers made, but she had to admit that their top recommendation would kill two doxies with one stone. It would set a good example for the public and would fill a high-ranking position that they desperately needed to fill.

By the end of the day, she admitted defeat. She prepared a memo to Percy.

_Malfoy it is. When can he start?_

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

"This is clearly why you've found yourselves in this financial bind in the first place!"

Only a week into the job, and Malfoy was already being insubordinate.

"Mr. Malfoy, imagine how many millions of galleons this is going to bring in. Especially for smaller businesses! The public wants it to happen!" argued one of Percy's people.

"Yes, obviously the Quidditch World Cup would bring in revenue. That is irrelevant. What is relevant is that it wouldn't be for another _five years_. In the meantime, preparations for hosting the Cup will increase the Ministry's cumulative debt one-hundredfold. Perhaps five years from now it could be possible. Believe me, I like Quidditch as much as the rest of you blokes. But not now. Granger-"

"Minister," Percy corrected him for the umpteenth time in the last few days.

"_Minister_," Malfoy ground out, "if you continue to agree to every proposal that lands on your desk, the economy is going to end up in the rubbish bin. Everything costs galleons. Galleons that we cannot currently spare."

Hermione chewed the end of her quill in frustration. He was right, but she didn't like to make decisions against the will of the public. She wanted to keep them happy. There were already too many who distrusted this administration, led by the youngest Minister for Magic in history. As the rest of the board had argued, the public was excited to reap the benefits that would come with Britain hosting the Quidditch World Cup. Plus, they liked Quidditch.

"Percy, what do you think?" she prompted.

Her most senior and trusted adviser had remained curiously silent for the majority of the meeting while Malfoy had it out with the rest of her board.

"I think..." his eyes shifted briefly to the rest of the advisers seated down the table, "I think Malfoy's got a point. I think he's right. We should revisit this in a couple of years when we have more room in the budget."

"Thank you, Weasley," Malfoy leaned back with his hands behind his head, smirking at the rest of the board. Though he technically was one of a couple of advisers positioned just below Percy and the Minister herself in the hierarchy, the entire board had been giving him a hard time all week, challenging him to prove himself. Until this meeting, he had kept his head low, but Hermione had to admit that she was somewhat relieved that he had finally taken a stand on something, even if she weren't entirely sure he was making the right decision. But Percy's opinion meant a lot to her, and she had to admit that the interests of the Department of Magical Games and Sports were not high on her list of priorities.

"Alright, then. I'd like Percy and Draco to accompany me to the meeting with the Head of Magical Games and Sports. The rest of you are dismissed."

Following an injury that took him out of professional Quidditch, Oliver Wood had been appointed Head of Magical Games and Sports and was retained by Hermione at the start of her term. He entered the conference room with a smile, sat down across from her, and rubbed his hands together.

"So, where's that contract?"

"Actually, Oliver, we have a few things to go over," Hermione began nervously, feeling heat rising across her chest. Was it really so rare that she turned down proposals that her body reacted so negatively? She cleared her throat. "Well – er – first of all, we –"

"We'll cut to the chase for you, Wood," Malfoy interrupted. Hermione halted her words immediately, her mouth opening in a small "O" of shock for a brief moment as she simultaneously saw Percy opening his mouth, undoubtedly to chastise Malfoy for rudely interrupting the Minister for Magic. She gently placed her hand on Percy's forearm and gave him a loaded look.

"Okay…" Wood murmured, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Your request has been declined," Malfoy stated simply, sliding a file folder across the table. He really was cutting to the chase! "Hosting the Quidditch World Cup, even five years in the future, is not feasible. The basic outline of the decision is laid out in these documents, including the numbers. It should be all the information you need, but if you have any questions, send a memo to the office of the Chief Financial Adviser to the Minister for Magic."

Wood blinked in shock for a moment before finally choking out, "I hope you will reconsider th-"

"No."

The room was painfully silent for a moment, but Hermione was struggling to keep quiet. She wanted to laugh out loud! Not at Oliver, of course, but just at the thrill. How was it so easy for Malfoy to say no to people? It made her giddy, and she wasn't even the one who had done it! Though his voice had betrayed no emotion, Malfoy's face had broken out into a wolfish grin.

After the door closed behind Oliver's retreating dejected form, Percy immediately rose to his feet and began lecturing Malfoy on the proper etiquette in these kinds of meetings and the respect owed to the Minister. Hermione remained quietly seated, only half-listening. She was still recovering from the excitement of Malfoy's "No."

"Is that all?" Malfoy asked with a raised eyebrow once Percy's diatribe trailed off.

"You owe Hermione an apology."

"No," he said again. This time, Hermione felt a little thrill shoot down her spine and she bit her lip to keep from smiling like an idiot. "And I don't think she wants me to. Am I right, Granger?"

She hadn't expected to be addressed at that moment and had to think through her distraction to make sense of what Malfoy had just said.

"Yes," she eventually admitted.

Percy stared at her questioningly but she chose not to respond.

"See?" Malfoy smirked and headed towards the door, "She always says yes!"

As predicted, the day that the decision regarding the Quidditch World Cup was released, publicity was quite busy. Hermione was relieved that she rarely had to field inquiries and complaints directly. Unless of course they showed up at her office in the form of one Harry Potter.

He entered her office unannounced an hour into the work day and collapsed in the chair across from her. He was one of only a few people who went unquestioned by her secretary when he came to visit from the Auror Department. Harry glared at her for a few minutes while she continued to sort through her documents for the day, waiting for the explosion.

"I know you don't care for Quidditch, but this is causing all kinds of outrage!" he complained. "Everyone loves it when we host the Cup and it would be beneficial to the economy _as well as_ morale!"

"Harry, the decision has been made. I'm sorry you're disappointed, but we've released a detailed statement for the public to consult with any questions," she explained matter-of-factly. "Besides, need I remind you that if _you_ had just agreed to campaign for Minister instead of leaving them to wrangle me into the job, you'd have been the one making the decision."

Harry grinned at that, which only served to frustrate Hermione more. "You say that every time I disagree with something you and your board do," he said.

"Well, it's true!" she huffed. "I don't know what to tell you, Harry. I really am sorry. And if you would, pass the sentiment along to Ron. I'm sure he'll be giving me the silent treatment for the next-"

Hermione's secretary knocked and peaked her head in at that moment.

"Mr. Malfoy to see you, Minister."

Hermione glanced at Harry who shrugged and rose from his seat, assuming an assertive stance as she nodded to her secretary.

Malfoy sauntered into the office with a smirk and a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ rolled up in his fist. "Potter," he acknowledged with a nod. He sat down in the chair that Harry had vacated. Placing the newspaper facing her on the desk, he said, "As I see you're entertaining gentlemen callers this morning, I presume you've not had a chance to look at the paper yet."

"Malfoy –" growled Harry in warning. Hermione just rolled her eyes and flipped through the paper.

"Isn't this fantastic, Granger? They've placed all the blame on me. Now that you have a Death Eater as a scapegoat, your unpopular moves will be more easily forgiven," he sarcastically explained in reference to the write up about the Quidditch World Cup decision. "Any more misgivings about hiring me, or is it safe to say you'll let me stick around a bit longer?"

"_Former_ Death Eater," Hermione corrected, "and I never had any intention of firing you, at least not based on your performance thus far. I apologize that you seem to be taking all the flack for this, however."

"I thought you liked Quidditch, Malfoy?" Harry mused. "Or are you still sore about all those Slytherin losses back at Hogwarts?"

"Hardly," Draco sneered, casting his most icy look in Harry's direction. "Anyway, it seems that I am doomed to be disliked by the wizarding world, but it's nothing new, so don't worry your pretty little head about it, Granger."

Hermione felt heat rising on her cheeks. "Watch it, Malfoy, I won't tolerate patronizing language. I'm your superior around here and I suggest you don't forget it again."

"Noted."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Harry shuffled his feet before muttering, "I should get back to work. I'm still miffed about this, Hermione. Next thing I know you'll be slashing the Auror budget to ribbons."

"Don't be silly, Harry," she called after him as he walked from the room.

"Not a bad idea…"

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy."

They fell into an awkward silence again. Hermione could feel Draco's eyes on her as she scanned the remainder of the article opened in front of her. She cleared her throat.

"Well, eventually when the economy turns around, they'll know to thank you, but in the mean time I think you can expect continued flack."

Draco smirked down at her as he stood up, holding eye contact. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere," he observed before heading out the door, closing it behind him.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

Over the next few months, Hermione, Percy, and Draco developed a kind of routine. When an unviable proposal was presented, Hermione began by acknowledging its merits. Then Draco would tear it apart from the financial angle, while Percy carefully considered all sides. Then he would appear to be regretful as he admitted Draco's practical position, and Hermione would "reluctantly" back down.

It really was a convincing charade. Hermione's approval ratings remained high while public opinion of the Malfoy family stayed low. But the economy was slowly recovering and there was no arguing with the numbers. After nearly a year of practicing this method, Draco finally began to receive positive recognition from the press and public.

Meanwhile, Hermione became more and more fascinated with the ease with which Malfoy touted the word "no." Even after all these months, her nerve endings were excited by the sound of his voice uttering that one simple syllable. There were so many ways to say it. Sometimes he whispered it so that people would have to lean in and hold their breath in order to hear, while other times he would shout it in someone's face to be sure they'd get the picture. He was often aggressive, growling or sneering or barking the word. Unexpectedly, he would on occasion say it gently, calmly, or politely. With a few women he almost made it sound like flirting. Whatever way he said it, Hermione never ceased to be surprised by the electricity it awakened in the pit of her abdomen, forcing her to subtly clench her jaw in order to remain still and silent.

So it was around this time, about a year into Malfoy's appointment, that Hermione arrived at work with a record number of five proposal rejections to get through. Steeling herself for a day of arguments and frustrated department heads, she set herself up in the conference room with her two collaborators on either side of her.

The first rejection went easily enough. Malfoy's "no" was calm and quiet, sounding ever so slightly regretful without leaving room for questions. By this time, of course, people knew that it was hopeless to try to change his mind, though some still tried. In this case, the rejected party left the room without argument and only a hint of disappointment.

The next took more of an effort. Malfoy's first tactic was an echo of the first, but the man who had submitted the proposal was not going to back down so easily. So Malfoy was forced to repeat himself several times, grinding out the magic word until the man gave up and left disgruntled. By the end of that meeting, Hermione's mouth had gone dry. She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" asked Percy, looking at her with concern. "Do you need a break?"

"I'm fine," she said, perhaps a little too quickly, snapping her eyes over to Draco who raised an eyebrow at her jumpy behavior. "Let's get a move on."

The third meeting felt like it took forever. Hermione could barely focus, distracted by her embarrassing and apparently very obvious reactions earlier. Her attention was recovered by Draco's shouted "NO!" at the surly man seated across the table. She felt heat rising across her chest and up her neck and wondered when it had gotten so hot in this conference room. Perhaps she would request that they adjust the temperature to be a few degrees cooler for these meetings.

She glanced over at Malfoy after he dismissed the man and ended the meeting. His eyes met hers and his smile grew wider, almost predatorial. Her eyes went wide and she quickly averted her gaze.

The next proposal was presented by a younger woman from the Auror Department. As her job required, she was athletic looking, and quite pretty to boot. Malfoy employed his most sensual rejection for her, almost purring the word. Hermione felt her blood boil in her veins. Was it possible that it had actually gotten even warmer in here? Her stomach felt like it had tied itself into a knot and she felt unreasonably angry all of a sudden. She shot daggers with her eyes at the woman's back as she left and she heard Malfoy chuckle next to her. She didn't dare look at what specifically had garnered that particular reaction.

"Are you sure you're alright, Hermione?" Percy pressed. "I'm sure Malfoy and I could handle the last one on our own."

Hermione shook her head, prepared to see the series of meetings through. Maybe she was a masochist? Five rejections in a row, of course she was going to get all hot and bothered, judging from her reactions in the past. She should have known better than to let them be scheduled consecutively like this. But at the same time, a part of her whispered that she hadn't felt quite this alive in years.

The final "no" was the previous rejection's darker, more dangerous cousin. Malfoy's voice maintained the same seductive pitch, but it was deeper and angrier, almost threatening. The final presenter visibly gulped. So did Hermione. She was beginning to notice a distinct wetness in her nether regions. Thank goodness this was the end of it.

Hermione stood abruptly at the meeting's conclusion. "I think you're right, Percy, I'm feeling a bit under the weather," she forced out. "I'm going to go back to my office. Good work, you two."

She couldn't remember the last time her legs had moved so fast. She barely made it back into her office before she collapsed into her chair with a pained, audible groan.

"I know you're not sick."

Hermione's eyes snapped open wide. He had followed right behind her and she hadn't even noticed! She just stared at him, mortified. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he looked down at her from his spot by the door, lips set in a quizzical half-grin.

"I most certainly am! I would like some peace please, if you would see yourself out. You really shouldn't enter someone's office uninvited, Malfoy."

"I know you're not sick, because I can tell you are feeling the same way I am at this very moment," he insisted, taking a couple of steps toward her, "and I may not have been invited, but I think you want me here."

"N-no," she stammered, fixating her gaze on the floor, in shock at what was happening as he continued his steady advance.

"You'll have to be more convincing than that," he murmured, and she felt that he was now very close to her. With one finger under her chin, he raised her face so that he could meet her eyes. "Haven't I taught you anything?"

Hermione couldn't move, couldn't think. Her body was tingling in places that hadn't tingled in… well, she couldn't remember how long! It felt good, and she didn't want it to stop, so she decided to throw caution to the wind. She never took risks anymore; it was rarely a good idea for the Minister for Magic to be reckless! But she was a Gryffindor and she needed to indulge her impulses every so often.

Standing up to her full height, she leaned towards him, leaving only a few inches of space between them. Softly but adamantly this time, she repeated herself.

"No."

His lips crashed into hers and without further ado began moving hungrily and insisting entrance. She obliged, no thought of hesitation, reveling in the sudden explosion of feeling as she released all of the tension that she had built up over the past few months while attempting to disguise her bodily reactions in their meetings.

Picking her up by the waist and placing her on the edge of her desk, Malfoy bent to her neck and began sucking and nipping from earlobe to shoulder. Hermione tilted to accommodate, relishing in the sensations his teeth and tongue were firing through her veins. He used his knees to separate her legs, settling between them as he lifted his head to connect their lips again and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She felt a prominent bulge pushing into her lower abdomen.

All of a sudden, Hermione came to her senses, pulling away and saying "No," but it came out as a desperate whine, and she wasn't sure if it was directed at Draco or at herself for breaking the intimate contact.

"C'mon Granger," Malfoy murmured, pressing his forehead to hers and staring into her eyes in a way that sent a shock of desire straight to her groin, "You're not supposed to use my own tactics against me."

"Th-this is wildly inapr-propriate," she managed, trying to calm her breathing.

He smoothed a hand over hair and kissed her nose, then her cheek, and then the shell of her ear before whispering, "No one needs to know."

He lifted her to standing, sliding his hand from her hair, down her back, around the curve of her bum, and under towards her most private place, coaxing her to compliance. It didn't take much before she was completely undone. In her mind, she vaguely attempted to rationalize it, thinking she could just get it out of her system this one time, but even as the thoughts formulated she knew it would not be that simple.

And so began a new addition to the routine. It worked the same as always, Hermione continuing to struggle with hiding her arousal in meetings, but now she and Draco found mutual release together within the hour. It was wrong, Hermione knew, for myriad reasons, but no one knew and they weren't hurting anyone. Besides, the casual sex was a great stress reliever.

After a couple of months, Percy began to get suspicious, noticing Hermione's strained behavior in meetings that were usually followed by one of them visiting the other's office. Eventually, he drew up the courage to confront her about it, and Hermione recognized the great effort with which he endeavored to address the issue with respect.

"Hermione, I have a question for you," he said, taking a deep breath. "Are you and Malfoy... a thing?"

"What?" she feigned shock at his inquiry, bracing her hand against her chest. "What would give you that idea?"

Percy frowned, suspecting her of lying, but she wasn't! She and Malfoy were absolutely not "a thing." They were just sleeping together. No labels. No feelings. No commitment.

"You two seem to have... ah, become much closer recently, and appear to spend a lot of time... behind closed doors," Percy wisely proceeded with caution. "It seemed that you might be... what I mean to say is... oh, bloody hell, are you sleeping with him?"

"No, Percy," this time she was lying, "we've just become quite good friends and enjoy each other's company. We get a lot of work done when we collaborate."

She tried to smile reassuringly at him but suspected that her face had turned a shade of pink that was not conducive to proclaiming innocence. Luckily, Percy did not pry, instead taking her word for it, though it was written all over his face that he did not truly believe her.

Hermione waited a few hours before gathering a few documents at random for appearance's sake and heading to Malfoy's office.

"Malfoy, whatever it is we've been doing these past few months... it needs to end now," she informed him. "Percy asked me about it earlier today. I lied, of course, but he definitely did not believe me. So we can't do this anymore."

He regarded her calmly from the seat behind his desk, long seconds of silence ticking by. She became uncomfortable, shifting a bit and pulling self-consciously at her pencil skirt. His gray eyes followed her subtle movements, making her feel unsteady under his close scrutiny.

"No," he stated evenly, and her eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, "I do not find that agreeable at all."

His words made her heart speed up.

"Malfoy - " she attempted to protest, but it was weak, and he cut her off abruptly.

"We can make other arrangements. We'll stop going to each other's offices. How about this. We both have a personal floo, and yours is untraceable. No one will think anything of it if I pop home for a short while now and then, and if you simply floo to my flat from your office, no one will be the wiser. No one will even know you've gone."

Hermione considered, shifting her weight back and forth. She knew it was still very risky and, as always, ridiculously inappropriate. Why couldn't she find a non-Ministry employee to fool around with? She knew deep inside, however, that no one got her as heated Malfoy - it had always been that way, after all. She should say no, she should put a stop to this while she had the nerve. But in reality, she knew she had never really had the nerve. It was a sorry attempt.

"Yes, alright, we can give it a try," she yielded, as if they were discussing a Gringotts bank loan transaction.

Malfoy positively beamed, stepping around his desk towards her.

"Now, we can start that arrangement _next time_, but I think I'm going to need to see you naked on my desk at least one more time before we permanently change locations."

Hermione licked her lips and toed off her shoes. She didn't need him to ask twice.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

After a few months of clandestine romps at Malfoy's flat, the arrangement started to become a bit fuzzy around the edges. It wasn't just a sexual release after rejecting proposals anymore. Soon, they began secretly going home together after Ministry functions. Hermione even began to worry that they were being too familiar in public - nothing particularly revealing, but brief touches of the shoulder and lower back and similar gestures. She had even received a few cranky messages from Harry and Ron commenting on her "friendship" with Malfoy, which they evidently did not approve of. If only they knew!

About a year into their physical relationship, Hermione stayed the night at Malfoy's flat for the fifth or sixth time. The first time it had been entirely unintentional, and she had panicked when she woke up to the sound of his shower. She attempted to take off before they came face to face, but he emerged from the bathroom before she finished gathering her things and threw her a casual smile, relieving her embarrassment. The next time, they had taken their morning shower together, repeating the events of the night before up against the steamy tiles.

On this particular morning, she woke up before him with her stomach rumbling and headed into the kitchen. Pulling out a few ingredients, she brewed their morning coffee and prepared a modest breakfast dressed in a pair of his boxers and one of his spare night shirts.

"Hermione, are you still here?"

Her heart skipped a beat before plunging into her stomach, her body going cold. He had never called her that before. She hadn't really noticed it before, but they had always been Granger and Malfoy. His use of her given name shocked her, and she suddenly became very aware of what she was wearing and what she was doing. Casual fuck buddies didn't spend the night, didn't wear the other person's clothing, and definitely did not stick around to make breakfast in the morning.

This had officially gone too far.

Abandoning her work in the kitchen, she shyly returned to his bedroom and hastily told him she had forgotten about an appointment she had in half an hour. Grabbing her own clothes and heading into the bathroom to change, she could feel Malfoy's confused look boring into her back.

When she handed his clothes back to him, she muttered a quick goodbye before practically running to the floo. All the while, Malfoy remained silent, brooding from his spot on the bed.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

Thankfully, that had been Saturday morning, so she had some time before the inevitable confrontation that would occur at work the following Monday. She focused her energy on thinking about anything and everything that wasn't Malfoy. Twice, he sent her an owl asking if she was okay, if he had done something to offend her... she ignored them.

As expected, he barged into her office first thing in the morning, wanting to know why she hadn't returned any of his messages and demanding an explanation for her abrupt departure on Saturday.

"Malfoy... I'm done with this. We can't do it anymore. It's not right for colleagues to be... involved. Especially while holding public office. I cannot continue to sleep with you in good conscience."

He began to aggressively pace back and forth across her office.

"No!" he eventually shouted in a desperate attempt to initiate a rendez-vous. She merely shook her head, lowering her gaze to her desk. She felt devoid of all emotion. Empty. Why did it feel so wrong to do the right thing?

"It's because I'm a Death Eater, isn't it? The Minister for Magic can't be caught shagging a criminal," he growled, turning to face her with his arms folded across his chest, feigning a threatening posture.

"_EX_-Death Eater!" She shouted back. "If that were the case, would we have even hired you in the first place?"

He just stood there, piercing her with his angry, silver eyes, breathing raggedly.

"Why do you even care?" she pondered quietly. "There are hundreds of other witches out there who you can get off with."

He threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I don't want hundreds of other witches! I want you, Granger. And Malfoys always have their way."

"Not this time," she said, determined to stand her ground.

Malfoy stormed out of her office and she didn't see him the rest of the day.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

The next morning, Hermione headed to the conference room with Percy, preparing herself for her first interaction with Malfoy since they had fought. When they entered, Malfoy pointedly refused to acknowledge her. They followed their routine as normal, until Malfoy got overly aggressive and made the female Ministry employee cry. When it was done, he promptly left the room.

Hermione was startled to find him in her office when she entered a few minutes later, sitting in the chair across from her seat with his head in his hands. He did not look up as she sat across from him and hesitantly reached over her desk to put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Draco."

He slowly raised his head and met her eyes. Still angry. They examined one another for a moment.

"I'll quit," he finally said. "I have enough money in my Gringotts vault to last me a lifetime. I never needed this job."

Hermione balked. "What?!" she exclaimed a little too loudly. "You can't do that! Are you blackmailing me?"

"No!" he said defensively. "But if I quit, then we can continue our... arrangement."

"Malfoy, please stop! No! I need you here. We can't function properly without you. We couldn't have accomplished nearly half of what we've done in the past couple of years. I reject your request."

"It's not a request!" he sneered. "I quit! I don't care if you need me at work, I want you to need me… in general!"

"I do need you!" she countered. "I could never have denied all of the necessary proposals on my own. You know that! It would have been impossible without you!"

"I thought you were supposed to be the all-knowing Gryffindor wonder, but you really are thick sometimes, you know that?" Malfoy said icily as he approached the door. "I don't want the Minister for Magic to need me. I want you to need me, Granger. I want Hermione to need me."

She stared at him, her mouth hanging open slightly. She had stopped breathing and her heart was hammering so hard she feared it would explode out of her chest. The tingle was back – that unique tingle that only Malfoy had ever started in her. But she had to ignore all of that.

"But if the Minister needs me more, then neither can have me at all."

He left. Hermione lowered her head to the surface of her desk and cried.

.~*~.~*~ _Don't, don't you want me? You know I don't believe you when you say that you don't need me. _~*~.~*~.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

Lyrics at the end of this chapter are from "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League.

Thanks for reading. Please review! Part II to follow :)


	2. Part II

Again, song lyrics from "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

.~*~.~*~_It's much to late to find you think you've changed your mind. Well you better change it back, or we will both be sorry._~*~.~*~.

The reportedly amiable resignation of Draco Malfoy as Chief Financial Adviser to the Minster for Magic sent the media into a frenzy. He was credited with single-handedly resolving the Ministry's financial problems and increasing the efficacy of the economy steadily over the past two years; the public was understandably concerned by the sudden change.

Hermione was determined to maintain the current trajectory of economic success. The Board of Advisers immediately hired a replacement. He did a fine job, but was not as aggressive in his policies as Malfoy had been. And certainly not as seductive in his rejections.

A few months later, Hermione and Percy discovered that they had managed to continue on in Malfoy's absence without slipping back to their previous state of economic distress. It was certainly a relief, but it secretly left Hermione feeling bitter. They didn't need him after all, at least not anymore. They joked about channeling their "inner-Malfoy" when handling particularly difficult meetings, but every time, Hermione left feeling cold and lonely.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

Every four years, the International Association of Witch and Wizard Relations hosted a summer ball to maintain contact between magical governments. Hermione had attended the last one a little over a year before she became Minister as a special invitee for her heroic wartime actions. It had been the last function she and Ron had attended as a couple before their final amicable split at the start of her campaign. As Minister, it was prudent (according to Percy and the board) that she invite a date for appearances, and as an easy escape from any unwanted conversations with foreign diplomats. She had convinced Ron to accompany her again, to the great disappointment of Lavender Brown who had been expecting to attend as his "plus one." The arrangement turned out fairly well, with Harry and Ginny, Percy and Penelope, and Arthur and Molly rounding out their assigned table. This year, the ball was hosted at Beauxbatons.

Hermione was obligated (again, according to Percy and the board) to dance with the other government heads that attended. For the most part they were polite, but she indeed used Ron as an excuse when a few requested a second dance. Ron, however, was perfectly pleased that his date was required to spend most of her time schmoozing with others. He was able to make frequent visits to the bar and buffet table.

It was during one of the few dances that she and Ron shared that Hermione spotted the fashionably late entrance of Draco Malfoy and she felt her palms immediately begin to sweat. It had been about ten months since she had last seen him in person, the day he had left the Ministry for good. On his arm was a petite brunette with heavily made-up eyes and large, sparkling jewels adorning her ears, neck, and wrists.

"What's Malfoy doing here?" Ron asked in annoyance. Though the boys did not know the true nature of her relationship with Malfoy, they had grudgingly grown to accept their friendship. She had played along with the "amiable" resignation depicted by the media, and no one ever discovered the truth. Percy was aware that Malfoy's departure had been a sudden and dramatic event, and he had his suspicions, but Hermione had never confirmed them. "He doesn't work for the Ministry anymore," Ron continued. "Why was he invited?"

"I suppose because it's only been a few months since he left," she said shakily. "They may have already finalized the guest list. And since he hadn't been fired, they didn't revoke the invitation."

Ron grunted in aggravation. They continued to dance for another minute before Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "I've just remembered something urgent I need to discuss with Percy," she said, breaking away abruptly.

Hermione made a beeline for Percy who was eating and laughing at their table with Penelope and his parents. "Can I steal him away for a moment?" Hermione asked politely, yanking him up by the wrist before anyone had time to answer. She steered him to a quiet, secluded corner of the room, partially concealed by a decorative display of tall, colorful plants.

"Malfoy's here," she whispered in a panic, peering through the leaves that shielded them, keeping an eye on the white-blonde head across the room.

"So?" Percy asked, folding his arms across his chest. "It's been months, Hermione. Are you still holding a grudge just because he resigned? It's _Draco Malfoy_. I'm surprised he stuck around as long as he did."

"Oh, Percy! Don't say that! I know you liked working with him!" Hermione accused.

"Fine, but either way, I don't know why you're upset. Just greet him politely so the press can get a photo showing that you're on good terms, and then you can ignore him the rest of the night." He said it as if it were the easiest, simplest thing in the world. And it would be if that were all there was to it. But Hermione could tell by the way he was scrutinizing her face that he knew better.

"Please don't make me say it, Perce..." she groaned, bowing her head, no longer able to maintain eye contact.

"I knew it! You were sleeping with him! That's why he resigned!"

"It's hardly something to celebrate," she said through a clenched jaw. "This is humiliating..."

Percy regarded her for a moment. "Did he leave because you were planning on continuing your... tryst?"

"No, well... Ugh! I don't know!" She leaned back against the wall and stared up just above his head. "I think that was what he originally wanted, because I told him that I couldn't continue to engage in such inappropriate behavior with a colleague. His solution to that was to quit, but I told him that we needed him! He got angry and quit anyway."

Percy gathered her up in a hug and she leaned her head against his chest, arms limp at her sides. She felt like all the energy had been sucked out of her. Percy wasn't normally an affectionate friend, so it meant an awful lot when he made the effort. "So he left because you wouldn't put out? I guess he was always foul. Maybe we were blinded by his usefulness."

"That's why I do _not_ want to have to speak to him. Even aside from the sex, I thought we had become friends. He really had me fooled."

"Me too."

They stayed like that for a minute or so longer before sneaking back out into the open from behind the plants. In order to keep herself occupied, Hermione dragged Ron back out onto the floor for a dance. Unfortunately, her plan to avoid contact with Malfoy was sabotaged when the man himself appeared beside them.

"May I cut in?"

Not knowing any of the details, Ron silently stepped aside, though not without a pointed glare. Hermione was rooted to the spot, attempting to telepathically communicate to Ron not to give her up, but he was already several steps away, so she had no choice but to stiffly accept Malfoy's hand in her own and place the other as lightly as possible on his shoulder. For the remainder of the song, they swayed awkwardly in silence. Hermione determinedly avoided his eyes, staring hard at his shoulder and maintaining a safe distance of several inches.

"You and the Weasel back together, then?" he drawled. It was a voice she remembered from their school days. He had never spoken like that when they had worked together. It sounded rather juvenile.

"N-no," she said, cursing her voice for shaking so pathetically. "We're just friends… I needed a date."

He scoffed and they fell back into uncomfortable silence. Hermione could not recall ever feeling so out of sorts. She wondered if the dancing couples around them could sense the tension, but she did not dare to look and find out.

"Is there anywhere we could go to talk in private? You must know your way around this place," he eventually requested.

"Wouldn't your date wonder where you've gone?" she asked spitefully. She knew she was letting her jealousy show, but she couldn't keep it out of her voice.

"You mean Astoria?" he smirked at that, looking over at the brunette who was chatting with a couple of other women by the bar. "My mother set us up. Respectable bloodline, no familial Death Eater connections. Perfect for a Ministry function like this. But she's about as interested in me as I am in her."

"You seemed pretty interested in one another when she came in clinging to your arm," she said, working up the courage to look at his face, and was startled by the genuine smile on his lips.

"Let's just say that she was looking forward to mingling with other single women," he said vaguely, the smile growing wider when Hermione did not indicate that she understood his meaning. "I don't have the… equipment that she is interested in."

"Oh!" Hermione said in surprise.

"No more excuses, Granger," he said, getting back to business. "We need to talk. I don't like how things ended and I'd like to clear the air."

She sighed in defeat. "Very well, they've set me up in a private suite. It's not far from here."

She led him discreetly from the ballroom and through the halls of Beauxbatons to the quarters they had reserved for her.

The main sitting room was a nice size, with a loveseat and an armchair before a luxurious fireplace, a bookshelf of self-translating books, and a kitchenette that would magically summon whatever she requested (within reason). The bedroom contained a sizeable bed and an armoire, with a bathroom leading off it that had a bathtub with magical taps that reminded her of the Prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts.

Hermione motioned for Malfoy to have a seat and went to the kitchenette to pour herself a glass of water. Her mouth was suddenly as dry as old parchment. Malfoy declined her offer, instead removing a flask from inside his jacket and taking a long swig of liquid courage.

"What is it you wanted to discuss, Malfoy?" she asked as she sat down on the other side of the loveseat, demurely crossing her ankles.

He brought his flask up to his lips and drank again before answering. "Explain to me why," he began slowly, refusing to meet her eyes, "after I quit, meaning we no longer worked together, and therefore avoiding a big scandal… why you stopped returning my messages. Why things just ended like they did. I thought there was a chance we'd be able to continue our… relationship, but… it seems like you never even considered it. Why?"

He finally looked up at her and the lifeless, hopeless look in their stormy grey depths took her breath away. She could feel a lump gathering in her throat and it took a moment before she regained the ability to speak. "I felt betrayed, Malfoy!" she admitted, louder than she had meant to, and the volume of her voice continued to rise. "You abandoned me when I needed you most! Our sexual arrangement was evidently more important to you than our friendship, the trust I had placed in you, our careers, the economy, and the government. You risked all of that just so that you could keep fucking me. How could you expect me to want to continue to see you after you had shown so little regard for me and my feelings? Why would I continue to see someone who only saw me as a piece of meat?"

Her rant was met with silence. She had gotten up and marched to the other side of the room while she yelled, and she could feel the tear tracks making their way down her cheeks. Malfoy was looking at the floor with his brow furrowed and began shaking his head side to side.

"You don't understand..."

"Don't tell me what I do or do not understand!" she shot back.

"I WILL tell you what you don't understand if you don't understand it!" he roared. "Obviously, you wouldn't know if you understood or not, and I'm telling you, because we are discussing _my_ actions, that you DO NOT UNDERSTAND."

"Then make me understand! Tell me what it is that I'm not understanding!"

Malfoy rose from his seat and approached her slowly. She stumbled back a small step as her knees began to shake slightly.

"Granger," he paused. His hands were shoved in his pockets. He seemed nervous. She just watched him warily. "I wanted to be with you. I did what I thought I had to do to make that happen."

"Okay, fine! And what part of that are you claiming I didn't understand?" she was yelling again, completely exasperated. "You wanted to keep screwing me, so you betrayed my trust and completely _screwed me over_ so you could get what you wanted! You're so selfish, Malfoy! I can't believe you thought that after that I would still want to have anything to do with you."

She was crying again, but that didn't deter him from snarling in her face, "I didn't screw you over at all! I've been following everything closely – you and Percy and this new guy have been handling everything just fine! So don't try to blame me for some catastrophic fuck up that never even happened!"

Hermione had nothing to say to that, so she just stood there helplessly while tears continued to make their way down her face.

"And do you really think it's selfish, to willingly leave the Ministry, knowing full well that there was a chance you'd ignore me afterwards, which is exactly what you did, by the way, and I'd never see you again?"

"Don't you think you're being a tad overdramatic, Draco?"

He went still, his rant finished, and she met his eyes. They suddenly seemed clear, like the storm that had been brewing in them had finally passed. He took a step closer to her, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping her cheeks. She just stood there with her arms at her sides, letting him clean her face. Then he gently grasped her shoulders, looking down at her, all anger seeming to have dissipated.

"You still don't get it," he said in wonder. She didn't argue this time. She felt frozen in place and in time while the moment seemed to stretch on for eternity. She was even holding her breath. "I can't believe I'm going to have to spell this out. I didn't quit because I wanted to keep having sex with you. I quit because I wanted to _be with you_."

She couldn't register his words. Part of her wanted to believe what he was saying, because she knew what he meant, but another part of her refused to accept his admission because… she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was scared.

"The day you left my flat," he was speaking to her so softly that she had to tilt her head up towards him to catch every word. "I was so confused because… you'd been in the kitchen making breakfast. You were wearing my clothes. You'd spent the night. I thought we were both happy like that… I was hoping that that was how things could be between us. Not just some casual fling."

She remembered the morning he was describing like it was yesterday, and she recalled the moment when she, too, had discovered that they were no longer involved in just some casual fling. She just hadn't known he'd noticed it, too. And she certainly hadn't realized that that's what he wanted from her after he quit. Was she really so blind?

"Hermione, I want to be with you," he repeated. His hands were still on her shoulders.

She felt out of breath, like she had just run a marathon. "I-I need to… think about this," she whispered.

He considered her, tilting his head to the side. A wicked grin slowly spread across his face.

"No."

And then he was kissing her, and it felt like their first – hungry and needy, with an added element of desperation. Hermione was rooted to the spot for a moment, but she quickly melted into him. His hands slid from her shoulders to her waist, caressing her curves as they went. They stumbled together to the couch, and he cushioned their fall as he pulled her down on top of him.

They froze when they heard a knock on the door.

"Hermione, are you in there?"

Percy.

She looked over at the door in panic. She felt Draco shaking under her, stifling laughter, no doubt. She looked down at him and he was indeed pressing his lips together, merriment dancing in his usually stormy eyes. She pressed one finger to her lips.

"She's been gone a long time. It's not like her to duck out of an event like this unannounced," she heard Ron's voice say, thick with concern.

Now Draco stopped laughing.

"Hermione, if you don't answer the door in ten seconds, we're forcing our way in."

She scrambled off Malfoy and motioned for him to hide in the bedroom. He complied and she moved over to the door, straightening her clothing and running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to comb it back. She opened the door just enough to poke her head through.

"I'm fine! Just needed a break from all of the formalities and conversation," she explained quickly, hoping they'd leave her to return on her own.

"You'd better come back with us now, Hermione," said Harry, who moved into her line of vision from behind Ron's tall form. "People have started to note your absence."

"I'll just be another minute," she assured them. She smiled at them each in turn in an attempt to reassure them. Percy was frowning but she chose to ignore it.

"You look… disheveled," Ron observed. She hoped her nerves didn't visibly show as they resurfaced. "It almost look's like you've been-"

Percy's groan cut Ron off. He put his hand on the door, and pushed it open wider, stepping into the room.

"Where is he, Hermione?"

"Where's who?" asked Harry, as the other two followed Percy into her quarters.

"No one!" she answered a bit too quickly. "There's no one here!"

Percy gave her an impatient look and walked over to the bedroom, throwing the door open and revealing Draco Malfoy to the three newcomers. If Hermione looked disheveled, Draco looked like a complete mess given his usually impeccable appearance. She had mussed his hair when she had run her fingers through it and there was lipstick smeared on his collar. She almost giggled… he was the very picture of a man caught conducting an affair.

Ron's jaw dropped open and Harry's fists clenched at his side. Percy groaned again and rounded on Hermione. He began lecturing her.

"You should know better, Hermione! This is totally unprofessional! Don't you know what people would say if they knew about this? They'd come up with all sorts of rumors – it's a conflict of interest! And they'd certainly guess that this had been going on before, and it wouldn't be long until the truth inevitably came out!"

"How long has this been going on?" Ron asked, his ears turning red.

"This is none of your business!" Hermione shouted to the room at large, collapsing onto the loveseat and dropping her face into her hands.

"You're sleeping with Malfoy?!" Harry was yelling now, too. "What could possibly possess you to – I can't believe – this is… ugh!" He gave up.

"Listen, you two," Percy was now addressing Hermione and Draco together, "this cannot happen. Without a doubt, the public will react the same way that these two are. Plus accusations that the Ministry cannot afford to worry about. We cannot risk an investigation."

"But they wouldn't find anything!" Hermione argued. "I know it was unprofessional, but it never affected our work! We still handled everything the exact way we should have. I know people will disapprove, but they wouldn't be able to find anything to actually condemn us for!"

"It doesn't matter," Percy said firmly. "This can't happen. It needs to stop. You have four years left in your term. Now is not the time to be dealing with a sex scandal."

"It's not a sex scandal!"

Ron and Harry both groaned, looking sick.

"Whatever it is, it's finished. You agreed to this job and all of the public scrutiny that comes with it, Hermione. This is one of the sacrifices you have to make."

She stayed silent for a moment, feeling torn but knowing that ultimately Percy was right as usual. She sighed and nodded her head reluctantly.

"Bloody brilliant," Malfoy interrupted the silence, stalking to the door and slamming it behind him.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

Nearly a year had passed since the ball and Hermione was withering away. Any enthusiasm, motivation, or sense of obligation had disappeared. She was going through the motions and while no one said anything about it, she knew they were all worried. Percy was a true asset, picking up the inevitable slack. They were essentially co-Ministers by this time, and while she felt some semblance of guilt that she generally got all the credit, she could not bring herself to fix it.

It was at the peak of this depression that a sign appeared in the form of an advertisement in the _Daily Prophet_. It was a sign she didn't even know she had been looking for but suddenly she knew she'd been waiting for it for years. Not even bothering to tell her secretary, she floo'd to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall would know what she should do.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

A few days later, with all of the arrangements made, she stood before the fireplace in her office, passing the floo powder back and forth between her hands. This was it. Regardless of what happened next, she knew that her decision was the right one for her even if this final piece didn't fall into place.

Taking a deep breath, she tossed in the powder, stepped through the floo, and next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the floor of Malfoy's flat.

He must have heard the _whoosh_ of the fire, because he barged in from the other room with his wand raised defensively. When he saw who it was, he lowered his wand but did not relinquish his aggressive stance.

"Bloody hell, Granger, you can't just show up unannounced in people's homes! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

She stood and brushed herself off, feeling butterflies dancing in her stomach. Malfoy was frowning at her, clearly upset by her presence. She shuffled her feet and muttered a self-conscious apology. He did not acknowledge it, instead tapping his foot while he waited for her to explain.

"I'm – I'm here to offer you your old j-job back," she stammered anxiously. But even her copious nerves did not prepare her for the level of vitriol he fired back.

"You have GOT to be fucking kidding me, Granger!" he shouted, taking a few steps toward her. "After all of the rubbish you put me through about working together and then just cutting me out of your life. You must be fucking insane."

"I did not cut you out!" She countered, heat rising on her face as anger overwhelmed her at his accusations. "We cut _each other_ out! It was what needed to happen. We talked about all of this at the ball last year!"

"We did not talk about it," he growled menacingly. "I was not consulted when that decision was made. Besides, however you want to explain it, Granger, it doesn't bloody well matter. You must be really out of your head if you think I'd go back to the Ministry to work for you again!"

"I'm not asking you to work for me," she said quietly.

"What are you on about?" Malfoy laughed but it was a mean laugh, a mocking laugh. "You've completely lost it."

"No! I have not _lost it_!" she fired back, closing the gap between them and poking him in the chest with her index finger. "How dare you! Maybe you don't approve of the decisions I've made over the years, but they have always been based in logic. So don't you tell me that I've gone crazy!"

"Then what the hell do you mean by 'I'm offering you a job but not for me?' You are making no sense!"

"Exactly what I said! I'm not asking you to work for me, I'm asking you to work for Percy!" She took a deep breath before finishing. "I'm stepping down. Percy is finishing the last three years of my term for me. He wants you to resume as Chief Financial Adviser."

Malfoy's mouth had fallen open and he stared at her, stunned. She took a step back, widening the gap between them while he recovered. A few seconds later, however, he crossed the space and pulled his face up to hers, his eyes flitting around her face in wonder for a few seconds before kissing her with more passion than she'd ever experienced before. She had never felt more free than when she realized that she could kiss him back without worry or fear. She tangled her fingers in his hair and he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and walking them over to the couch. He sat down with her on his lap and without ever breaking contact, she shifted so that she was straddling him and their faces were level. For the first time, however, their kisses lacked sexual charge. It was just relief and affection and passion.

This went on for a few more minutes before he finally pulled away, again examining her face, this time smiling at her like a loon. "But what will you do?" he finally asked. "I have to assume you didn't step down as the bloody Minister for Magic just to be with some wizard. That's not you, Hermione."

"I'm going to be teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts," she revealed, returning his smile.

"That's – that's incredible!" he said. She felt like she was going to cry.

"I never really liked being Minister," she admitted quietly.

"I know."

"So… will you take the job?" she hesitantly asked.

"Under one condition." He smiled mischievously. "That I get regular office visits from the ex-Minister," he said as he slowly pushed her down onto the couch and covered her with his body, beginning to unbutton her blouse. "So that I can rip all of her school teacher clothes off one by one on my desk. You know, for old time's sake."

She reached her head up and bit his bottom lip, tugging on it roughly before pulling back to say with a wicked gleam in her eye:

"No."

FIN.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

Thank you so much for reading! I would really appreciate any feedback you might have, praise and criticism both :)

I hope you enjoyed the ending. I considered that the Transfiguration reveal was a bit too sudden, but after rereading, I feel confident that I made it clear that Hermione was unhappy, dissatisfied, and overall not very stimulated by her job as Minister, while Percy is very content in cleaning up all of her messes (not to mention is dedication to the Ministry in the books). I knew I wanted Hermione to leave her job for Draco while also doing something quite nice for her friend Percy. I relied on our knowledge of Hermione's character both in canon and within this fic to pull it off. What do you think? Did I succeed?

I am a busy grad student and don't have a ton of time to write, but I have a couple of chapters of a longer fanfiction written that I'm super excited about. It's unlike anything I've written before... So keep an eye out for that if you're interested! Thanks again to all readers, and especially reviewers and followers!


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